Virgin Media issues UK Wi-Fi alert with users | Tech News

It’s a common broadband downside. You come home from a long day at work, kick your footwear off and try to stream a Netflix box set. But as an alternative of watching issues in superb 4K, all you see is a fuzzy image and annoying buffering. With most houses throughout the UK additionally making an attempt to obtain information and watch content material at precisely the identical time, it is not stunning that web speeds can begin to stutter at peak instances.

“Evenings are prime time for going online,” Virgin Media defined in a new replace on its weblog.

“Streaming films, gaming with friends, scrolling social media or catching up on emails, it all adds up. Suddenly, the show pauses, the game lags, and someone shouts, “Is the WiFi down?”.

If you are constantly having issues between 6pm and 10pm, Virgin suggests trying some steps, including restarting your router.

Yes, turning things off and on again can work wonders for the Wi-Fi.

“It sounds easy, however turning your router off for 30 seconds and switching it back on can refresh your connection and repair short-term slowdowns,” Virgin confirmed.

You’ll find the off switch on the back of the router, but be aware it can take around 5 minutes to reset, so only take this measure when nobody needs access to the web.

Another top tip is to make sure your router is powerful enough to cope with the number of devices connected to it – for example, the latest Wi-Fi 7 boxes are best for very busy homes. Older Wi-Fi 4 and Wi-Fi 5 boxes simply can’t keep pace with today’s needs.

It’s also a good idea to check your router’s placement and place it in a prime position.

Virgin says it’s a bad idea to pop the router behind furniture, near other electrical items such as microwaves and watch out for very thick walls often found in older homes.

Finally, it’s worth checking that you have the right speeds for your needs.

Explaining more, Virgin said: “If your broadband bundle is not fast enough for what you need, it’d really feel advantageous during the day however begin to gradual down within the evenings when more people are online. Faster fibre broadband is constructed to manage with a number of units streaming, gaming and shopping on the identical time, so that you get a smoother expertise everytime you’re related.”

Things nonetheless not working?

It may be time to chat to your supplier. Take pace readings utilizing each a wired and wi-fi connection and at completely different instances of the day.

The more proof you could have, the more possible you’re to get issues fixed.